The following sections discuss overall aspects of the AccuRev GUI display and user interface.
You can start the AccuRev GUI from the desktop (Windows only) or from a command shell:
On the Windows desktop, double-click the AccuRev icon. There is also an AccuRev group in the Start > Programs menu.
In a command shell, use the acgui command:
> acgui (Windows)
> acgui & (UNIX)
The way the GUI window initially appears varies. It might be blank, or it might open one or more tabs, displaying your work from the preceding GUI session. The AccuRev GUI reopens:
File Browser tabs, each displaying the contents of an individual workspace or stream.
Stream Browser tabs, each displaying the hierarchy of streams, snapshots, and workspaces for a particular depot.
Queries tabs, each showing the set of AccuWork queries defined for a particular issue database (and, if you've defined a default query An AccuWork query that you've designated to be executed automatically in certain situations: when you open a new Queries tab; when AccuRev prompts you to specify one or more issue records in a Send to Issue command; when you execute Promote and an AccuRev/AccuWork integration is enabled., its results).
The AccuRev GUI window uses multiple tabs to enable you to switch quickly among several activities. For example, you might wish to switch among:
Viewing the contents of your main workspace, using the File Browser.
Viewing some or all the versions of a particular file, using the Version Browser.
Viewing a list of all depots The portion of the AccuRev repository that stores the entire history of a particular directory tree. See element, version. in the AccuRev repository The directory tree that stores all software configuration management data managed by AccuRev. This data is maintained by the AccuRev Server, responding to requests made through AccuRev client programs. Users never manipulate the repository directly..
Viewing the streams in a particular depot, using the Stream Browser.
At any time, you can "clean up", by closing one or more of the tabs, in either of these ways:
Right-click on a tab control to display its context menu, then select Close.
Left click the "X" icon on the tab control.
The AccuRev GUI assumes that you want to avoid having multiple tabs with the same contents. So, for example, if there's already a File Browser tab on workspace brass_mnt_john and you execute an Open Workspace command on the same workspace, the GUI simply brings the existing tab to the front.
If you do want to have two or more tabs showing the same data structure, use the File > Clone Tab command. This enables you, for example, to work in two different parts of a large stream hierarchy (two Stream Browser tabs), or to work in two different folders of a workspace (two File Browser tabs). [note ]
The data displayed on GUI tab can become out of date as a result of your work on other GUI tabs, your work using the AccuRev CLI, and/or other users' work. AccuRev displays a
"refresh" icon next to the tab title if it determines that the tab's data may be out of date.
The command View > Refresh (or function key F5) updates a tab's data. You can configure the GUI to refresh tab data automatically whenever you switch tabs: invoke the command Tools > Preferences , and clear the Require Manual Refresh checkbox.
With a few exceptions, you must be logged in as a particular AccuRev user A person who uses an AccuRev client program to access (read and/or change) the data in the AccuRev repository. Access is granted only to those who login with a "username" that was previously registered in the AccuRev repository. See login. in order to execute AccuRev commands. An indicator in the lower left corner of the GUI window shows the current user (the one who is currently logged in).
Typically, the AccuRev repository is organized into multiple depots The portion of the AccuRev repository that stores the entire history of a particular directory tree. See element, version.. For example, there might be separate depots for the development, testing, and documentation groups. Most GUI tabs display the data from one particular depot. When you're using a particular tab, the associated depot is termed the current depot. Its name is displayed at the bottom of the GUI window.
Many tabs have a current workspace context: the workspace that is the source of (or the possible destination of) the data that the tab displays. The name of the current workspace is displayed at the bottom of the GUI window, along with the pathname of its workspace tree The ordinary directory tree, located in the user's disk storage, in which the user performs development tasks and executes AccuRev commands..
In a dialog box, you can "press" buttons using Alt key sequences, such as Alt-C for Cancel. The Esc key also performs a Cancel operation in any dialog box.
In some dialog boxes, you don't even need to use the Alt key when invoking a keyboard accelerator: In a "Yes/No" dialog box, you can type Y or N (either uppercase or lowercase). In a message or confirmation box (no input field), you can indicate Ok by typing O (either uppercase or lowercase), or by pressing Enter.
Many commands can be invoked with a keyboard accelerator, without opening any menu at all. The accelerators for such commands are listed on the menu itself.